DAVAO CITY --
The business partnership behind the city’s Aeon Towers project announced it
would invest P3.1 billion in constructing another condominium.

Ian Y. Cruz,
president of the FTC Group of Companies, said in a statement that the new
project -- a partnership of his company and Philippine Business Bank -- would
be completed in 2016. The 33-floor condominium will sit beside the Abreeza mall
in the Bajada district.

The project
was welcomed by Jason C. Magnaye, head of the Davao City Investment and
Promotion Center. He noted that Aeon Towers, expected to be the city’s tallest
building, will encourage other property developers to help define the Davao skyline.

With people
snapping up condominium units for investments, Mr. Magnaye said that developers
have been trying to provide the market with projects that, although pricey, are
near the city’s central business district.

Mr. Cruz,
whose company also operates a nine-floor medical and dormitory tower, said that
even before the construction of the project started, about 200 of the 473 rooms
were already sold.

Of the sold
units, five clients bought a unit each of the P34-million penthouse, the most
expensive ones in the building. The cheapest unit is priced at P2.9 million.

Moreover, Mr.
Cruz said that to lure the buyers, the partnership is emphasizing that the
project will use state-of-the-art facilities. These include the latest
technology, especially in the use of electricity.

He added that
the new condominium will harness Smart Home Technology, a mechanism that will
allow unit owners to control their lighting, electronic devices and even manage
curtains with the use of a touch-activated master control.

To do this,
Mr. Cruz said, the company has tapped Cisco Systems Inc. regarded as the leader
in the networking technology.

The
partnership between FTC Group and Philippine Business Bank started the project
three years ago. It initially planned a condominium of 45 floors. However, the
building’s height had to be lowered after the Civil Aviation Authority of the
Philippines complained that the structure would be within the regular flight
route of airlines. -- Carmelito Q. Francisco